Doctoral Consortium

Table of Contents

The LAK Doctoral Consortium is a day-long workshop designed to support emerging scholars in learning analytics by helping them develop productive approaches to studying the intersection of theory, data, and practice. The event will bring together Ph.D. students from a variety of disciplines working on topics related to Learning Analytics who are grappling with their dissertation research and a mentor panel of prominent researchers in the field (particularly across the disciplinary areas of learning sciences, data sciences, and human-computer interaction). Doctoral Consortium participants will be given the opportunity to present, discuss, and receive feedback on their research in an interdisciplinary and supportive atmosphere, as well as to be exposed to a wide range of different analytic approaches, methods, and tools for acquiring data about learners and their learning activities. Special attention will be paid to understanding how individual work, often driven by a specific disciplinary outlook, may impact and intersect with larger learning analytics issues.

Provide a setting for mutual feedback on participants' current research and guidance on future research directions from a mentor panel

Create a forum for engaging in dialogue aimed at building capacity in the field with respect to current issues in learning analytics ranging from methods of gathering analytics, interpreting analytics with respect to learning issues, considering ethical issues, relaying the meaning of analytics to impact teaching and learning, etc.

Develop a supportive, multidisciplinary community of learning analytics scholars

Foster a spirit of collaborative research across countries, institutions and disciplinary background

Enhance participating students' conference experience through interaction with other doctoral consortium participants and faculty mentors and the opportunity to review submissions to the Doctoral Consortium.

The intention of this doctoral consortium is to support and inspire Ph.D. students during their ongoing research efforts. Therefore, applicants should already be working on a specific research project but should not have completed their degree nor officially submitted their thesis prior to the doctoral consortium (March 2015). Ideally, participants will have developed and perhaps defended a proposal, but be early enough in carrying out the project that adjustments based on feedback received at the consortium can still be made.

The Doctoral Consortium will take place immediately before the LAK 2015 conference during the second designated workshop / tutorial day (17th March). Students attending the Doctoral Consortium should be registered for the general LAK conference, but there is no additional registration fee the Consortium itself. All meals on the workshop day will be provided.